Why Aston Villa must make a January swoop for Saidy Janko
According to Birmingham Live, Aston Villa, Wolves and Fulham are keen on Nottingham Forest’s on-loan defender Saidy Janko.
The 23-year-old is currently on a season-long loan from Porto and has made an impressive start to his time at the City Ground. He has played five times so far this season, with Nottingham Forest winning twice and drawing three times when he has featured.
The report claims Saidy Janko could be available for around £2million, with interest in the player soaring with every passing week.
Aston Villa should look to get their icy hands on Janko by paying £2million once the transfer window reopens. New Villa boss Dean Smith would face a big January and he should utilise it by rebuilding the squad.
Smith has a lot of work to be done at Villa Park but the defence is the area he must prioritise strengthening in January.
Aston Villa’s defence has been one of the shakiest in the Championship this season. Villa are terribly short on quality when it comes to defence and Smith has a work cut out for him. While central defenders have struggled, Villa’s full-backs have not done any favours as well.
Alan Hutton has been Villa’s best full-back in the last few seasons but he is slowly coming to the end of his career. Ahmed Elmohamady has done very well this season but he has entered his 30s.
Axel Tuanzebe is capable of playing as a full-back but he is on a season-long loan from Manchester United, meaning Villa are apparently short of options as far as the full-back department is concerned.
Saidy Janko could be an impressive buy for the Villans. Having started his youth career with FC Zurich, Janko moved to Manchester United in 2013 but failed to make a single appearance for them. He had spells with Celtic, Bolton, Barnsley and Saint Etienne before signing for FC Porto earlier this summer.
The 23-year-old, now on loan with Nottingham Forest, is primarily a right-back but is also comfortable playing further forward or as a wing-back. He is a modern-day full-back, known for his tenacity and work rate.
Janko can bomb forward with pace, deliver crosses into the box and defend diligently as well. He is a player blessed with a good technique, which allows him to do well in both halves.
Janko does not have the lightning pace to drift past players with ease but he compensates with his positional awareness and judgement. He is also a good tackler and wins the ball more often than not.
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Hence, a player of Janko’s quality would do Aston Villa a world of good. Although he is just 23 and has a long way to go, the Swiss ace has shown promising signs this season and Villa must make a move for him in January.